No More Playing Along
by SprouseGoose
Summary: Just my take on what should happen after My Sister's Keeper.


**Author's Note: This was a one shot inspired by My Sister's Keeper. If you haven't watched it yet, this may contain spoilers you don't want to know about. So, keep reading at your own peril. But, it is up on youtube, so if you want to go watch it there and come back and read this, great.**

It was the next day after Cody and Willa's date from hell. After smacking Cody's elbow, Woody mostly had gotten over being mad at Cody especially after Cody explained to him everything that happened. Woody did have to agree that while that behavior wouldn't bother him, it would have been too much for Cody. That morning, Cody arrived in the classroom early to find Bailey was already there. After setting his backpack on his desk, he noticed it begin to wobble. Dropping to his knee, he checked it out and noticed many of its bolts had been loosened.

Cody rolled his eyes. "Zack..."

Bailey looked over. "Huh?"

"There are several loose bolts on my desk. Only one person could be behind it..."

Bailey nodded. "Oh..."

Cody paused and grinned. "Would you mind helping me teach him a lesson?"

"What do you have in mind?"

"I'm just going to switch his desk with mine. With two people, we should be able to move it so that it doesn't fall apart in transport..."

Bailey shrugged her shoulders. "Sure...why not?"

As carefully as they could, they moved Zack's desk out and replaced it with Cody's. Then Zack's desk was placed where Cody's was supposed to be. Cody made sure he was still standing so not to throw Zack off when he arrived. And per usual, Zack arrived about 30 seconds before class started. Tutweiler was about to say something when Zack sat down and his desk collapsed with him in it. The entire class turned to laugh as Zack sat there trying to figure out what happened.

Cody smiled, turned to Bailey and whispered. "Thanks. I owe you another one..."

Bailey just nodded. The previous day just replayed in her mind over and over. How seeing Cody out with Willa had triggered a jealousy in her that she hadn't felt since they were in the Home Economics class. She couldn't help it, she knew she shouldn't care, but for some reason, she couldn't help but feel possessive of him as if he belonged to her. And she could remember how happy she felt when Cody told Willa that he was still in love with her, and how crushed she felt when Cody had thanked her for playing along in his need to let Willa down easy. Silently, Bailey berated herself. She had been telling Cody to move on for so long, and when he did, she was the one who had a problem with it. And even worse, it looked like he had finally done so and was over her. Bailey kicked herself again. If she hadn't been so stubborn in trying to convince herself that she was over him, she could have had him back when they were at the chocolate factory.

The rest of the day, Bailey pretty much kept to herself. She really didn't want to be anywhere where she would run into Cody because it would hurt too much to see him. But, by a half hour until curfew, she realized she hadn't eaten all day, and the only place still open to use her student card was the skydeck. Sighing, she left her room hoping the skydeck would be so busy that she wouldn't have to see him. But alas, that wasn't to be. When she got there, the only two people there were Zack standing behind the smoothie counter and Cody sitting on one of the stools. Taking a breath, she walked over and sat on the stool next to Cody.

"Where is everyone?"

Cody shrugged. "No clue. Its been dead all night. I just finished folding my last load of towels from the dryer..."

Zack nodded. "Tell me about it. Its been as dead as it was that night that Agent Smith came on board..."

Cody nodded too. "I remember that. The highlight of my night that night was cleaning the lint traps..."

Zack sighed. "The sad thing is I actually envied you doing that..."

"Speaking of interesting evenings, what happened to you last night? You were dressed up in a suit and lipstick smudges on you...Big date with Maya?"

"I wish. The girl who looked just like London tried to seduce me..."

Cody looked at his brother incredulously. "Are you serious?"

"Unfortunately, yes. I knew something was up when London was being nice and flirting with me..."

"Except it wasn't London..."

"Trust me...I figured that out when I saw two of them...Oh yeah, from now on, we have to wear name tags around London. She still can't tell us apart..."

"Sounds like a fun evening..."

Zack smirked. "I heard yours was just as interesting..."

Cody sighed and shook his head. "Don't ask..."

"Why not? Willa was a babe. What was wrong with her?"

"Let's just say once I got to know her better, the Fink family resemblance was unsettling..."

Bailey spoke up finally. "What do you mean?"

"Well, we were at the table, and we agreed to just be ourselves. She said she was very comfortable with me, and well, she...ummm...cleared the air so to speak..."

Zack looked confused. "Huh?"

But Bailey understood what Cody meant and began laughing despite herself. "Are you serious?"

"Unfortunately, yes...Cleared out every other table in the process..."

Zack spoke up. "Whoa, whoa, whoa...are you telling me she cut one loose right there at the table?"

Cody nodded. "Yup...That was my first clue that something wasn't right..."

Bailey spoke again. "What happened then?"

Cody shuddered as he spoke. "She propped her bare foot up on the table to show me her athlete's foot and began to scratch it right on the table..."

Bailey's eyes went wide in surprise. "Oh my gosh..."

"Yeah...It took every bit of self control I had not to throw up right then and there..."

Even Zack was grimacing. "That's not good..."

Cody nodded. "And that's when it happened..."

"What happened?"

"Instead of seeing Willa across the table from me..." Cody paused and shivered. "I saw Woody..."

Zack shook his head. "Tough break..."

"And the final straw for me was when she started attacking her ribs like a pack of hyenas on a zebra...I couldn't take it any longer. I felt like I was out on a date with Woody..."

"So, what did you do?"

Cody sighed. "I did the only thing I could think of...Thankfully, Bailey was there to give me good excuse. I told Willa I wasn't ready to move on..."

"Such a shame. She was a total babe..." Zack checked his watch. "Codester, its only fifteen minutes before curfew. Would you mind watching the smoothie counter so I can leave early to go see Maya?"

"Go ahead..." And with that, Zack hung up his apron and ran off.

Realizing she was now alone with Cody, Bailey wanted to say something to him, but she couldn't find a place to begin. Instead, Cody turned to face her.

"Thanks again for playing along last night. I know that could have been very awkward for you, but I truly do appreciate what you did..."

Bailey could only nod. "No problem..."

Cody smiled. "If you ever need a favor, don't hesitate to ask. I owe you one." Cody stood up and walked over to the towel counter to began putting everything away and locking it up. Bailey just sat there trying to scrounge up the courage to say what she wanted to say. But her thoughts were interrupted when Cody walked back over.

"By the way, how did you do in the London Look Alike Contest?"

Bailey paused. "Oh...Well, you saw the competition I was up against..."

Cody nodded. "Well, I'm just glad you weren't trying to change your style. I like your regular one..."

"You do?"

Cody smiled. "Of course. It was always you and represented who you are...Just my opinion, but I would think again before changing it. If people don't like it, that's their problem."

Bailey smiled despite herself. "Thanks..." She paused. "I guess Willa had a distinct style too..."

Cody paused to think. "I guess so. I didn't really pay much attention to it..." He laughed. "My last memories have kind of clouded the whole thing."

Bailey laughed too. "I guess so..." She paused. "So, what was it about her then?"

"Well, she was smart, sweet, she thought I was funny, and she accepted my quirks..." He paused. "Now that I think about it..." Cody shook his head. "You know, nevermind..."

Bailey instinctively grabbed his shoulder. "No, tell me..."

Cody paused before answering. "Now that I think about it, she kind of reminded me of you..."

Bailey nodded, but internally, she was smiling from ear to ear. If Cody was drawn to Willa because she reminder him of her, that had to mean something, right?

Cody continued. "Well, until dinner. I must say, your table manners are much, much better..."

Bailey laughed at that. "Thanks..."

Cody checked his watch. "Okay, its officially five until curfew. We should both be heading to our cabins before we get caught out..."

Bailey sighed. "Yeah...I guess so." She paused. "Cody?"

"Yeah?"

Bailey lied. "I'm sorry it didn't work out with, Willa..."

Cody shrugged. "I'm not. What's the old saying...you live, you learn?"

Bailey nodded. "Yeah...I guess we have to experience life so we can learn from it...That way, we don't make the same mistakes again..."

"Yeah...Well, goodnight, Bails..."

"Goodnight, Cody..."

All that night, Bailey just tossed and turned. A lot was weighing on her mind, specifically Cody. She couldn't get over the fact that Cody thought Willa had reminder him of her. Bailey was positive it meant something, but she didn't know if she had the courage to find out. By 5:00 AM, Bailey was still having trouble sleeping when she decided to go ahead and get up for the day. She showered and decided to wear one of her outfits she always knew Cody loved. After grabbing an early breakfast, she went ahead and made her way to the class room. She was surprised to find Miss Tutweiler was already there.

"Bailey, what are you doing here so early?"

Bailey sighed. "I couldn't sleep much last night, so I went ahead and got up..."

"Is everything okay?"

Bailey was about to shrug it off when she decided to be honest. "Actually...No."

Tutweiler looked sympathetic. "Want to talk about it?"

And the next thing she knew, Bailey was pouring out everything that had happened over the past 48 hours. Tut could only sit there and listen in fascination.

"So...You've realized you are still in love with Cody, but you're afraid to tell him?"

Bailey nodded. "Pretty much..."

Tut chuckled. "I knew I wasn't seeing things..."

Bailey was confused. "Huh?"

"Oh please. You two were flirting up a storm with each other on senior ditch day. I thought I was going to see you two begin making out right there during the laser tag game..."

Bailey blushed. "I don't know about all of that..."

"Bailey, it was obvious to everyone that there was still strong feelings there between you two. Remember, there is a fine line between love and hate. And deep down, you never hated him..."

Bailey shook her head. "No, never..."

Tut smiled. "But, you were both still too hurt to let your feelings of love out for each other..." She paused. "Well, except when Cody tried at the chocolate factory..."

Bailey was shocked. "You know about that?"

"Everyone does..."

Bailey sighed. "I was still being too stubborn and not letting myself admit I still loved him too. But, I think its too late. Cody has already moved on..."

Tut laughed. "I don't know about all of that..."

"But what if he has?"

"Then you find out for sure and can move on yourself..."

"I don't know..."

"Bailey, think about it this way. What if Marie Curie had been afraid of doing what she wanted to do. We may never have discovered radon..."

"She discovered radium. And she died due to aplastic anemia that she contracted due to her exposure to radiation..."

Tut sighed. "My point is she did what she wanted to do. She wasn't afraid, and she went for it..."

Bailey nodded. "Maybe you're right..."

"Go for it. You might be surprised with what you find out..."

The rest of the day, Bailey debated with herself, and finally, she decided to go for it. Worst case, she could finally move on. Best case, well, she smiled at thinking would that would entail. So, she scrounged all of her courage and made her way to Cody's cabin. She knocked on the door, and walked in when she heard him shout it was open. Walking inside, she found Cody stretched out on his bed reading a book. She couldn't help but notice how handsome he looked being so studious.

"Hey, Bailey...What's up?"

"Well, I...ummm..." Bailey began to get cold feet. She didn't know if she could go through with it. "I was hoping I could ask you a favor..."

Cody smiled. "Sure. I owe you a few..."

Bailey nodded. "I was talking to a friend of mine, and she asked me for some advice. Before I tell her, I was hoping I could get a guy's perspective. And I know I can trust your opinion..."

"Ask away..."

"Well, there is this guy she realized she likes. And at one point, she thinks he liked her too, but now she's not so sure. She's wondering if maybe she missed her chance..."

Cody paused to think. "Well...maybe..."

Bailey's heart sank. "I was afraid of that..."

"But if he liked her at one point, and if he really liked her, odds are that he still has feelings there somewhere..."

"Really?"

"Tell her to go for it. Even if it doesn't go her away, at least she won't spend the rest of her life wondering what if..."

Bailey nodded. "You're right...Thank you, Cody..."

Cody smiled again. "Anytime..."

Bailey gathered up all the courage she had and spoke again. "Cody?"

"Yeah?"

"About the other night when you thanked me for playing along?"

"Yeah?"

Bailey just blurted it out. "I wasn't..."

Now Cody was confused. "What do you mean?"

Bailey sighed and sat down next to Cody. "When I saw you and Willa together, I got jealous. I mean Home Ec jealous. I knew I had no right to be, but I was. And that's when it dawned on me. I wasn't over you and still considered you to be mine. Cody, before I was being stubborn, but I finally made myself acknowledge that I was still in love with you..." Bailey stopped so she could judge Cody's reaction.

And for his part, Cody just sat there with his mouth wide open in shock.

Finally, he eeked out. "You...you still love me?"

Bailey nodded. "Yeah...I was in denial, but I never stopped..."

Cody just sat there not knowing what to say. Finally, he stood up. "Excuse me a moment..."

Cody walked over to his desk and got out a rubber band. He slipped it over his wrist, pull pack on it, and let it go. The impact made a loud noise and it hurt a lot.

"Ouch!"

Bailey was really confused. "Why did you just do that?"

Cody returned and sat on his bed next to her. "I wanted to make sure I wasn't dreaming again before I said something..."

"Dreaming?"

Cody nodded. "Almost every night, I have a dream that starts out similar to this with you telling me you still love me..."

"What usually happens after that?"

Cody paused and shrugged. "That's usually when I wake up..."

"Well, this isn't a dream..."

Cody nodded and paused. "Do you really mean it? How do I know you won't change your mind in an hour or a day or a week?"

Bailey paused. It was a fair question. "Because I'm tired of denying how I feel. I'm tired of letting my anger or my pride overrule my heart. Cody, I know you have every right to be skeptical. Especially after the chocolate factory. I was still letting my hurt control me. But its like what we said last night. You have to learn from your mistakes. I promise you, I will never make the same mistakes again..." Bailey took a breath and had a small smile on her face. "If I had a time machine, I would go back and try to smack some sense into myself..."

Cody softly laughed. "Well, if you find that time machine, can I borrow it? I'd love to go back to our first anniversary in Paris to smack some sense into myself. I shouldn't have let my anger and pride get in the way either..."

Bailey had a small smile. "Only if you let me go back with you to smack sense into me then too. I still can't believe how stupid I was. I should have known better than to think you would ever cheat on me..."

"I should have handled things better on my end. I should have accepted your apology, and we could still have had a wonderful anniversary. I should never have thought the need to practice it in the first place..."

"Well, that was actually sweet when I thought about it. I should have known you would have wanted to make it perfect..."

Cody nodded. "Yeah...instead I caused it to be the worst day of my life..."

"It was mine too..." Bailey paused. "Is it too late for us?"

Cody turned to look at her. "I would hate to think that it was..."

"Me too...but where does that leave us? I know I still love you, but I have no idea how you feel about me now..."

Cody smiled. "Do you really have to ask that?"

"Cody, yes, I do...I need to know..."

"Bails, the only reason I went out with Willa was because you had made it clear to me that I had to move on. I didn't want to, but I had no other option..."

Bailey sighed. "I know, and believe me, I've been kicking myself for that for the past two days..."

"But the fact is...I never stopped loving you, Bails..."

Bailey couldn't help but smile at that. "So, there is a chance for us again?"

Cody smiled back. "That's what I want..."

"Me too..."

Cody paused. "But, like you said, we have to learn from our mistakes we made before or we are doomed to repeat them..."

Bailey nodded. "You're right. Cody, I promise if I ever have any concerns again, I will immediately talk to you about them. If I had done that last time, we both would have ended up having a good laugh about it..."

Cody smiled. "Probably...And Bails, we have to be careful about how competitive we are with each other. I love competing with you, but we have to know there is a line we can't cross..."

"I know. At the end of the day, it doesn't matter who is better at something or who got a higher grade on something."

"Beyond that, we just have to make sure we communicate. Bails, I want to be an open book to you..."

Bailey smiled. "Me too..." Bailey scooted closer to Cody. "Now, is there where you finally kiss me again?"

Cody grinned. "Almost...There is one thing I have to do first..."

"What's that?"

Cody dropped to his knee and took Bailey's hand in his. "Would you do me the utmost honor and go to the prom with me?"

Bailey couldn't help herself and for the first time in months, she let out her unique little laugh.

Cody smiled. "I've missed hearing that so much..."

Bailey smiled back. "And I've missed having a reason to do it...And as for your question, not only is my answer a yes, its a heck yes!"

Cody stood up and pulled Bailey up with him. "Now, I'm going to kiss you..."

"You better..."

Cody pulled Bailey into his arms. "I hope you know I'm never letting you go ever again..."

"Good, because I'm not letting you go again either. You're stuck with me..."

Bailey beamed back at him. "Nowhere else I want to be..."

And with that, Cody leaned in and kissed Bailey for the first time in months to seal the deal that they were back, better and stronger than ever.


End file.
